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Simple Lunchbox Ideas and Easy Trail Mix Recipe

Simple lunchbox ideas including a recipe for an easy trail mix your kids will love is just in time for back to school!

August has always been a “summer” month living in New York. School doesn’t start here until after Labor Day so when I hear all this back to school mumbo jumbo from people who live elsewhere this time of year I’m totally baffled by it. In my head, August is the hottest month of the year and should be filled with pool parties, ice pops, watermelon, late-night fire-pit s’more making and all other end of summer things for kids, not alegbra and homework.

That said, I’m realizing the Northeast is in the minority and pretty much the entire rest of the country considers August a “back to school” month. So, begrudgingly, I’m going to talk about simple lunchbox ideas for you guys today.

Simple lunchbox ideas including a recipe for an easy trail mix your kids will love is just in time for back to school!

I have to say, putting this lunchbox together almost (a very big almost) made me want a kiddo to do this for, it was fun!

Lunchboxes have come a long way since being a kid of lunchbox appropriate age in the late 80s. The multi-compartment ones like this make it so much easier to pack a bunch of stuff without having to worry about the sogginess factor.

Piecing this lunchbox together was like tetris for my brain.

Wanting to get in a nutritious meal with protein, carbs and fats all represented in a fun, easy and balanced way and most importantly, so a kid would actually eat it was way more enjoyable than I thought it’d be.

Send your kids to school with these simple, easy and healthy lunchbox ideas.

Simple Lunchbox Ideas:

  • ham and hummus flatbread rollup
  • cucumber sticks and carrots with Greek yogurt ranch dressing for dipping
  • Horizon organic colby cheese stick
  • Santa Cruz Organic cinnamon applesauce cup
  • easy lunchbox trail mix (recipe below)

As you can see, I took a little help from two of my favorite organic brands, Horizon and Santa Cruz Organic that I picked up at Target. Both were perfect additions to this nutritious lunchbox from a parent and kid perspective.

Cheese sticks have been a long-time lunchbox hero and the single serve colby cheese sticks were a fun change up from the traditional mozzarella variety.

The cinnamon applesauce cups won me over because there’s no added sugar in them. Apples are plenty sweet as is, it always drives me crazy to see unnecessary added sugar in applesauce.

Plus, if your kid is going to eat sugar, I’m going to go out on a limb and say they’d much rather it in a handful of chocolate chips in their trail mix than in the applesauce cup!

Simple lunch Ideas your kids will love and an easy recipe for lunchbox trail mix.
With back to school right around the corner, here are 5 ideas for a simple lunchbox meal.

Because I’m a firm believer that every meal should end with something sweet, I included this easy lunchbox trail mix.

The recipe below is for 1 serving but making a big batch for the week and portioning it out each day is a great idea too.

With heart healthy fats from nuts and seeds and a little sweetness from dried tart cherries and mini dark chocolate chips, it’s the perfect way to end the lunch hour and get energized for the rest of the school day!

Love this simple lunchbox idea?

Check out these snacks for more simple lunchbox ideas: no bake peanut butter chocolate chip balls, chewy tart cherry oat bars, cranberry orange oatmeal cookie bites.

Simple lunchbox ideas including a recipe for an easy trail mix your kids will love is just in time for back to school!

Easy Lunchbox Trail Mix

Yield: 1 serving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

Simple lunchbox ideas including a recipe for an easy trail mix your kids will love is just in time for back to school!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon pecans
  • 1 tablespoon pepitas
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tablespoon dried tart cherries
  • 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and place in lunchbox container.

Notes

 

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 485mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 5g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon and Santa Cruz. The opinions and text are all mine.

Lisa @ Wine & Glue

Sunday 13th of August 2017

What a great lunch box! We are big fans of Horizon!

Kim Beaulieu

Saturday 12th of August 2017

I love everything about these lunchbox ideas. Those wraps are calling my name.

Katherine | Love In My Oven

Friday 11th of August 2017

My kiddos aren't in school yet, but I'm always packing lunches to take on our adventures. These are some great ideas! I get so sick of the same old sandwich routine.

tieghan Gerard

Friday 11th of August 2017

Loving these fun ideas and this trail mix!

Leigh Ann

Wednesday 9th of August 2017

I wish my lunch boxes had been this yummy growing up!

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